Covered button



S. MISHKIN COVERED BUTTON Aug. 22, 1961 Filed April 24, 1959 INVENTOR S/0A/Ey M/SHK/A/ 9M 04 MM ATTORNEYS BY icz l2.

United States Patent 2,996,778 COVERED BUTTON Sidney Mishkin, New York, N.Y., assignor to Bac-A- Brand Products, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 24, 1959, Ser. No. 808,704 6 Claims. (Cl. 24- 113) This invention relates to covered buttons, and more particularly to a button which is adapted to be covered by a home dressmaker.

The primary object of the present invention is to generally improve such covered buttons. A more specific object is to provide such a button which is made of metal in order to effectively resist heat and cleaning solvents.

Still another object is to provide a button which facilitates the operations of holding and patterning the fabric and assembling the same with the parts of the button.

A further object is to provide a button having an inexpensive shank and back plate which may be readily assembled and which hold together with a secure locking action.

To accomplish the foregoing general objects, and other more specific objects which will hereinafter appear, my invention resides in the home covered button elements and their relation one to another, as are hereinafter more particularly described in the following specification. The specification is accompanied by a drawing in which:

FIG. l is a section through a combined front shell and intermediate plate of the button;

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the addition of a disc carrying pressure sensitive adhesive;

FIG. 3 is a. section through a drape shell with a piece of fabric disposed therein;

FIG. 4 is a similar section showing how the button parts of FIG. 2 are inserted in the fabric and drape shell of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows the trimming of the fabric around the periphery of the drape shell;

FIG. 6 shows the fabric turned inward and pressed on the adhesive;

FIG. 7 is a similar section showing the addition of the back plate to complete the button;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the back plate;

FIG. 9 is a section therethrough taken on the line 99 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 shows the serrated leg of the shank drawn to larger scale;

, FIG. 11 is a plan View of the assembled button viewed from the back, that is, from the top of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 12 shows a fragmentary portion of FIG. 7 drawn to enlarged scale.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawing, the button comprises a drawn sheet metal front shell 12. having a peripheral wall 14 permanently locking it to a drawn sheet metal intermediate plate 16 disposed within the front shell "12. There is also a shank 18 formed of a reversely bent or U-shaped wire, the ends of which pass through the intermediate plate 16 and are turned outwardly at 20 between the intermediate plate 16 and the front shell 12, thereby holding the shank.

The outer shell is initially formed with a shape indicated by the broken lines at 14 but after insertion of the intermediate plate 16 with the shank 18, the peripheral wall is contracted or bent inward as shown by the change from the position 14' to the position 14, thereby locking together the assembly of shank, intermediate plate, and outer shell. This assembly is completed in the factory in appropriate dies. '1

In the present case the button is convex or dome shaped, sometimes called a half-ball, but it is evident that the button may be given variant shapes. The intermediate plate 16 is preferably shaped to conform to the front shell 12. It similarly has a drawn peripheral wall. The parts are circular when viewed in plan, as will be clear also from FIGS. 5, 8 and 11 of the drawing.

The legs of the U-shaped shank are preferably roughened or serrated at their outer sides, as shown at 22. This is more clearly shown to larger scale in FIG. 10. The serrations serve to lock or hold a back plate, as will be described later.

Referring now to FIG. 2 of the drawing, a thin adhesive disc 24 has been added, this being dropped around the shank 18. The disc is apertured to receive the shank, and in the present case the aperture may be an elongated slot shown at 26 in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5. It is customary to preliminarily shield the adhesive surface with a sheet having a shiny or non-adhesive surface, and this shield is pelled from the disc by the housewife before using the same. The disc may be adhesively coated on both its upper and lower faces, but I have found it more convenient to provide a disc which is adhesively coated on only one surface, which is used as the upper surface.

Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawing, the button kit further comprises a drape shell 30. This is made of sheet metal drawn to a deeply dished configuration, including an outwardly sloping peripheral wall 32. There is also a rather large hole 34 at the bottom. One such drape shell may be supplied with a group of buttons packaged together as a sales unit. A piece of dress fabric 36 is laid over the drape shell 30, and the button pants shown in FIG. 2 are then pushed into the drape shell as shown in FIG. 4. This holds the fabric in smoothly spread relation around the front of the button. It also anchors the fabric during the ensuing trimming op eration, and provides a guide for the trimming operation.

This is illustrated in FIG. 5 in which the fabric 30 is being trimmed as shown at 37 by means of scissors, not shown. The drape and button assembly of FIGS. 4 and 5 may be held together by the fingers of one hand while the scissors is operated with the other hand, and thus the fabric is readily trimmed to approximately circular shape without the need for a pattern other than the drape shell itself.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the trimmed edge 38 of the fabric is turned into the button and pressed against the adhesive surface thus temporarily anchoring the fabric in proper position. The fabric is then locked in place by means of a metal back plate as shown at 40 in FIG. 7. The adhesive disc 24 is not essential but it offers some convenience in temporarily holding the fabric in position before adding the back plate 40. The latter alone could sufiice.

The back plate 40 is made of sheet metal, and preferably has an annular ridge '42 near its periphery, that is, it has a rolled peripheral edge which stifiens the disc and improves its grip on the fabric. Referring to FIG. 8, the disc 40 has slits 44 which form two tabs 46 disposed radially with their free ends pointing toward one another. Some metal may be punched away between the ends of the tabs, as indicated at 48. The free ends of the tabs are notched at 50, and are dimensioned to receive the shank 1. snugly or frictionally. Because of the serrations there is an automatic locking action as the tabs move resiliently along the serrated legs of the shank. To enhance this action, the tabs 46 may be bent upward somewhat as is best shown in FIG. 9, and in consequence the tabs lock against the serrations as shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 12. shows to larger scale how the arcuate closed end of slot Stl is received in a serration of the shank.

The back plate 40 is dimensioned to engage the inturned fabric at the inner periphery of the button. Pressing the plate firmly inward locks the fabric in position. During this operation the button may be left in the drape shell (although omitted in FIG. 7). To help eject the button from the drape shell, should it stick, a blunt end may be pushed through the hole 34 in the bottom of the drape shell.

It will be understood that the button is secured to a garment by sewing the shank to the garment in conventional fashion.

It is believed that the construction and method of use of my improved home covered button, as well as the advantages of the same, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description. It will also be apparent that while I have shown and described my invention in a preferred form, changes may be made in the structure shown without departing from the scope of the invention, as sought to be defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A cloth covered button comprising a drawn sheet metal front shell having a peripheral wall permanently locking it to a sheet metal intermediate plate disposed within the front shell, a shank formed of a U-shaped wire the ends of which pass through the intermediate plate and are turned sidewardly between the intermediate plate and the front shell, the legs of the U-shaped shank being roughened or serrated, a disc coated with pressure Sensitive adhesive disposed around said shank within the periphery of the intermediate plate, fabric wrapped around the front shell with its edge turned in and pressed against the adhesive disc, and a circular sheet metal back plate slid over said shank with its peripheral edge engaging the inturned fabric at the inner periphery of the button, said back plate having slits forming tabs with free ends, said free ends engaging the legs of the shank with an automatic locking action as the tabs move resiliently along the serrated legs of the shank.

2. A cloth covered button comprising a drawn sheet metal front shell having a peripheral wall permanently locking it to a drawn sheet metal intermediate plate disposed within the front shell, a shank formed of a U- shaped wire the ends of which pass through the intermediate plate and are turned outwardly between the intermediate plate and the front shell, the legs of the U- shaped shank being roughened or serrated on their outer sides, a disc coated with pressure sensitive adhesive disposed around said shank within the periphery of the intermediate plate, fabric wrapped around the front shell with its edge turned in and pressed against the adhesive disc, and a circular sheet metal back plate having an annular ridge near its periphery, said back plate being slid over said shank with its peripheral edge engaging the inturned fabric at the inner periphery of the button, said back plate having slits forming two tabs disposed radially with their free ends pointing toward one another, said free ends being notched to receive the legs of the shank with an automatic locking action as the tabs move resiliently along the serrated legs of the shank.

3. A button kit providing a button adapted to be cloth covered at home, said kit comprising a drawn sheet metal front shell having a peripheral wall permanently locking it to a drawn sheet metal intermediate plate disposed within the front shell, a shank formed of a U-shaped wire the ends of which pass through the intermediate plate and are turned outwardly between the intermediate plate and the front shell, the legs of the shank being roughened or serrated on their outer sides, a disc coated with pressure sensitive adhesive dimensioned to be slid freely over the shank into the shell, a sheet metal back plate having an annular ridge near its periphery, said plate being dimensioned to he slid frictionally over the shank with its peripheral edge adapted to bear against inturned cloth or fabric when the fabric has been previously wrapped around the shell, said back plate having slits forming two tabs disposed radially with their free ends pointing 4- toward one another, said free ends being notched to receive the legs of the shank with an automatic locking action as the tabs move resiliently along the serrated legs of the shank.

4. A button kit providing a button adapted to be cloth covered at home, said kit comprising a drawn sheet metal front shell having a peripheral wall permanently locking it to a sheet metal intermediate plate disposed within the front shell, a shank formed of a U-shaped wire the ends of which pass through the intermediate plate and are turned sidewardly between the intermediate plate and the front shell, the legs of the shank being roughened or serrated, a disc coated with pressure sensitive adhesive dimensioned to he slid freely over the shank into the shell, a sheet metal back plate dimensioned to be slid friotionally over the shank with its peripheral edge adapted to bear against inturned cloth or fabric when the fabric has been previously wrapped around the shell, said back plate having slits forming tabs with free ends, said free ends being adapted to engage the legs of the shank with an automatic locking action as the tabs move resiliently along the serrated legs of the shank.

5. A cloth covered button comprising a drawn sheet metal front shell having a peripheral wall permanently locking it to a sheet metal intermediate plate disposed within the front shcll, a shank formed of a U-shaped wire the ends of which pass through the intermediate plate and are turned sidewardly between the intermediate plate and the front shell, the legs of the U-shaped shank being roughened or serrated, a pressure sensitive adhesive disposed in back of the intermediate plate within the periphery of the intermediate plate, fabric wrapped around the front shell with its edge turned in and pressed against the aforesaid adhesive, and a circular sheet metal back plate slid over said shank with its peripheral edge engaging the inturned fabric at the inner periphery of the button, said back plate having slits forming tabs with free ends, said free ends engaging the legs of the shank with an automatic locking action as the tabs move resiliently along the serrated legs of the shank.

6. A cloth covered button comprising a drawn sheet metal front shell having a peripheral wall permanently locking it to a drawn sheet metal intermediate plate disposed within the front shell, a shank formed of a U-shaped wire the ends of which pass through the intermediate plate and are turned outwardly between the intermediate plate and the front shell, the legs of the U-shaped shank being roughened or serrated on their outer sides, a pressure sensitive adhesive disposed in back of the intermediate plate within the periphery of the intermediate plate, fabric wrapped around the front shell with its edge turned in and pressed against the aforesaid adhesive, and a circular sheet metal back plate having an annular ridge near its periphery, said back plate being slid over said shank with its peripheral edge engaging the inturned fabric at the inner periphery of the button, said back plate having slits forming two tabs disposed radially with their free ends pointing toward one another, said free ends being notched to receive the legs of the shank with an automatic locking action as the tabs move resiliently along the serrated legs of the shank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 495,754 Platt Apr. 18, 1893 2,513,182 Koehl et al June 27, 1950 2,654,927 Tansman Oct. 13, 1953 2,799,908 Morin July 23, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 17,421 Great Britain 1915 227,794 Great Britain Apr. 16, 1925 

